Close To You
by dnaw12
Summary: "It's been bugging me. That I suggested that what we had meant nothing. That it was just some dumb, teenage fling." Gabby cringes, remembering how much his words stung. The man who she thought was the love of her life implying that their relationship was meaningless." A summer fling turns into 10 years together that ends abruptly. Is it possible to get what they had back?


_It's been a while since I've posted, and there's an explanation/update at the end of this for anyone who cares._

 **This is the most self-indulgent fic I've ever written. I've always been sort of frustrated that Matt and Gabby got together so early on. I really wish that they would've explored other relationships for the both of them (mostly Gabby bc she's my favorite but). Anyway, don't worry, it's mostly Dawsey. But I wanted to include some other characters. I hope you like it. Leave a review if you want to let me know what you think!**

* * *

Waking abruptly to the sound of the car horn, Gabby let out an irritated groan. Glancing out of the car window, she saw she was surrounded by leafy green trees and log cabins instead of skyscrapers and run down stores. In the front seat, Antonio is listening to music and tapping his drum sticks against the dashboard. The pounding headache Gabby has sadly hasn't subsided, and the stark beat Antonio's drumming is irritating.

"'Tonio, can you cut that shit out?" Gabby says, earning a glare from her father.

"Hey! Watch your mouth, you know how your mother feels about swearing."

"I've kind of forgotten." She grumbles. How the hell is she supposed to remember, not having seen her mother in over three years? "I get you guys wanted to get divorced, but did she really have to move out into the middle of nowhere."

"You can ask her that yourself." They pull into a driveway of a moderately sized cabin, with a huge yard. The buzz of a lawnmower is coming from the back, and the minute the car door opens Gabby swears she hears a mosquito buzzing. The humid air is a harsh contrast to the car air conditioning that had her wrapped in a hoodie, and she pulls it off to avoid sweating too much.

Gabby hops out of the car, standing and observing the house with Antonio while her dad pulls their two large suitcases out of the back. The large porch has a hanging bench that's slowly rocking, and she can't help but quietly admire the house. She'd never admit that she likes it out loud though.

Finally, their mother comes out, wearing an apron and overalls and covered in flour. Gabby's heart pangs, and she remembers those days she used to help her cook and bake. They'd sing in the kitchen, and dance, and her mom would always let her have the first taste. That was forever ago though, and now Gabby is in front of her estranged mother for the first time in years.

"Hey guys!" She calls out, hopping down the steps barefoot and coming to stand in front of them as their dad comes up behind them, suitcases in tow.

"Hey mom," Antonio wraps her in a hug, and Gabby scrapes her foot against the ground awkwardly, simply mumbling a greeting when she turns to her. Intimacies are not her thing.

* * *

Gabby meets Matt her third day at her mothers. The previous two have been spent in awkward silence, and quiet shuffling around the house, with cringe-worthy meals. Antonio is too busy writing music, her college brother not interested in spending time with his 16 year old sister. Gabby mostly draws and reads, listening to music on her shitty old iPod.

She's on the front porch, her mom in town getting groceries and her older brother upstairs ignoring her. A blonde kid in baggy jeans and a sweaty gray shirt is all of a sudden in front of her. There's a truck parked in the gravel driveway, which she didn't hear through the music blasting from her earbuds, and a nervous looking blonde boy that looks her age accompanying it. Pulling the headphones out of her ears she squints at the boy.

"Hi."

"Hey. Uh, I'm assuming you're Renee's daughter?" He's fidgety, and pretty cute, and it makes Gabby smile for the first time since she got to this mosquito-ridden cabin.

"Yeah. You're the kid who was mowing the lawn when I got here." She barely remembers him, more preoccupied with charging her phone when she'd gotten there. But now that she thinks of it, it's definitely him. Getting up, she tugs her shorts down and walks down the steps to stand across from him. "I'm Gabby."

"Matt." He says. "Your mom has mentioned you a few times."

Gabby fidgets at the thought, brushing it off before asking, "How do you know her?"

"I do yard work for her, fix things, and stuff." Gabby nods slowly, wondering why he's here but not wanting to ask. "Your mom mentioned that we're the same age, you're going to be a junior, right?"

"Yeah. I live in Chicago, go to this huge public school there. I bet your schools pretty small, out here in the middle of nowhere."

He lets out a chuckle and grins at her. "Yeah, it is. I'm not exactly used to it, I used to live in Chicago."

Gabby raises her eyebrows. "That must be weird. I feel weird even being here for a few days. I've always found the sound of sirens comforting, as weird as that may seem."

"Yeah, it takes a while to get used to the buzzing and chirping."

Matt turns and she peers over him at the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Gabby's mom is in the front seat, smiling, and Gabby ducks her head as Matt goes over to help her unload the groceries.

Her mom invites Matt inside, and they all file into the kitchen. Antonio's music is blasting as Renee puts away the groceries, asking Matt about how his aunt and uncle are doing. Gabby zones out, until her name is mentioned and she's pulled back into the conversation.

"I was actually going to ask if Gabby wanted to come into town with me. I know how weird I felt after I moved here, I figured she could use a slice of pizza and some human interaction."

Gabby nods in agreement, silently thanking Matt for saving her from this place, and gives her mom a hopeful look. After looking between the two of them, her mom nods, and Gabby gives Matt a smile before grabbing her phone from the countertop.

They ride in silence in his truck for a few minutes before she says, "Thanks for saving me. God it's so awkward around there, and I hate swimming and the bugs, and all that vegetarian shit she always cooks."

He lets out a hearty laugh that makes her smile so wide her cheeks hurt, and thinks that maybe this summer won't be so bad after all.

* * *

After spending the rest of the week with Matt, Gabby feels like her summer is saved. His truck allows her access to town and many activities- as mundane as they may be- as she wants. Even if the town is small and relatively unentertaining, she has Matt. They're fast friends, and after their first few hours together Gabby feels a sense of comfort and security whenever she's around him. She feels a tingle in her stomach when he touches her, or gets too close, but she chalks it up to a crush that would of course develop when the only other guys she sees are Antonio or Matt's uncle.

They're sitting on the dock in her mother's backyard when he asks her on what she thinks is a date.

"So there's this carnival that comes around for like a week every summer. It's an hour away, but if you go for the day, it's totally worth it. I was wondering if you'd wanna go with me."

Gabby pauses, taking a break from skipping the rocks she's piled up before they sat down in the sun. She glances over at him, in his swim trunks and shirtless, his shoulders starting to burn from the harsh sunlight. Matt's avoiding eye contact, and if he wasn't she wouldn't think about his question for more than a second.

"I guess that depends." He looks over at her and she keeps her eyes trained on him. "Are you asking me as a friend, or is this like…"

"A date?" She nods, reaching her arm over uncomfortably to scratch a bug bite on the back of her shoulder. He reaches over and scratches the spot with ease, before pulling his arm back and scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, do you want it to be a date?"

Gabby cracks a smile then, hating that she's practically swooning over the nervous look he has on his face. "You're such a dork."

He rolls his eyes, shoving her shoulder. "That doesn't answer the question."

"Yeah, I'll go on a date with you."

They go back to sitting in a comfortable silence, and Gabby laughs at how red he gets when she pulls off her shirt and asks him to rub sunscreen on her back. He tosses her in the lake, ignoring her protests. It's worth it because she pulls him in after her.

* * *

The ride to the carnival is filled with Gabby singing along to the radio, and Matt giving her looks that make her smile and sing even louder. Luckily, he likes all of the rickety rides, and holds her hands on all of them. She shoves her face into his shoulder when they're about to drop, and she likes the way his hand sometimes comes to rest on her thigh, his thumb ghosting over her knee.

"I've actually never been to a carnival before." Gabby says, her mouth full of corn dog. He flicks a fry at her for talking with food him her mouth, and she catches it, putting that into her mouth as well.

"I hadn't either, before I came here." He's tearing apart his 3rd slice of pizza. Gabby likes to tease him about how all of the money he earns working for her mom goes towards food. He likes to tease back, saying he's had to work overtime since she came around and he spots her on practically everything. "Chicago is not exactly a carnival scene."

Gabby shakes her head, finishing off her corn dog. "No, it's not." He motions for her to lean forward and she does, letting him wipe ketchup from the corner of her mouth. She smiles at him before taking a sip from the water bottle between them, working up the courage to ask what she's wondered since she first met him. "Why'd you come live with your aunt and uncle anyway?"

Matt looks uncomfortable, and she regrets asking him almost immediately. It's none of her business, and she hasn't exactly explained why she's always walking around eggshells around her mother. Before she has a chance to apologize he says, "My mom killed my dad."

Not sure how to respond Gabby just sits there, before being shaken out of a daze by the sound of a kid crying. "May I ask why?" She says tentatively, not wanting to be pushy. Because even if it feels like they've been friends for ages, they've only known each other for a few weeks.

"He was abusive, and she had just had enough, I guess." Gabby nods slowly. "Please don't feel bad for me. It happened, and it sucks, but it's just reality."

"Okay."

Gabby changes the subject, and Matt looks relieved. They talk about Gabby's best friend Shay, and agree that she and Matt's friend Andy would get along.

Eventually it's dark, and they end up going around on the ferris wheel. Looking at the open sky and all of the stars she knows she's going to miss the view when she's back in Chicago. Looking over at Matt, who's checking in with his aunt on the phone, she knows she's going to miss him too. The sudden realization that in a few months she won't be seeing him every day strikes her, and suddenly her mood drops. All of this is temporary.

He hangs up with his aunt and looks over at her, frowning at the look on her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Glancing at him, she thinks about the fast friendship that's formed between them, and how she doesn't want to break this bubble they're in. Gabby is struggling to find a reason for why she looks so sad all of a sudden, and can't, so she leans in and kisses him.

He tastes like cotton candy, and when her mouth opens up to him his tongue is soft against hers. She forgets about how temporary this is, and focuses on the way his hand feels holding her face, his callous thumb rubbing against her cheek.

They only stop once the ferris wheel starts moving again, and they both let out soft laughs, leaning back as their hands find each other.

He gets her funnel cake, and wins her a giant banana, and they drive through the backroads back to their houses. Gabby falls asleep, and when she wakes up to him rustling her awake her hand is still in his. Matt kisses her goodbye, and Gabby can't help but be bothered by the thought of leaving him.

* * *

Not much about their usual routine changes, except for the fact that they're constantly touching, and spend a lot more time in each other's bedrooms. Gabby feels like she's in a fucking indie movie, and thinks about how cliché them making out in the small town library is, but ultimately doesn't care. Because she's so happy.

They're lying in his bed, well he's lying down and she's sitting on him, peeling his sunburn. There's only two weeks left before she goes back to Chicago, goes back to school, goes back to her life without Matt by her side every day. He's thoroughly sunburnt and her skin is a few shades darker than it was when she got there in June.

"Are you gonna miss this place?" He asks, and Gabby snorts. Matt pinches her hips and she squirms, lightly slapping his chest.

"No. I'm not going to miss the lack of good pizza, or the excessive bugs. Or being at my mom's house, for that matter." He looks disappointed and she pinches him. "You didn't let me finish. I'm obviously going to miss you."

Matt's eyes light up and she smiles when they do. Gabby knows she's only 16, knows it's dumb, but she also knows that she'd never get tired of Matt's smile. "Good."

She goes back to peeling his sunburn, and he goes back to running his hands up and down her legs, but something is obviously bothering him. Gabby pokes his chest, and he looks at her. He can already tell what she's saying by the looks on her face. "Why do you and your mom have such a weird relationship?"

Gabby stills, before letting herself flop down on top of him. She buries her face into the crook of his neck, groaning. "Do we have to talk about this?"

Matt's hand drifts across her back, and she lets herself relax against him. "I was just curious. We don't have to talk about it unless you want to."

It takes Gabby a moment, but eventually she figures it can't hurt. "She was cheating on my dad. That's the reason they broke up. I don't know, he says it was inevitable, and that she needed to figure stuff out. But…" She trails off, no longer wanting to talk about it. The feelings she's learned to keep in start boiling up, and tears sting her eyes.

"But…" he prompts, his hands still rubbing her back.

"I get that she needed out of the marriage, and I can even get that she needed to leave Chicago, and figure out her life. I just don't get how she could leave me, and not talk to me for two years. She didn't call, she didn't email, or write letters. I get that you can stop loving your husband, but how did she stop loving me?"

A few tears fall but she bites her lip to stop herself from really crying, her face is already sticky from the heat and being hidden in Matt's shoulder. He doesn't say anything, just tries to comfort her by being there for her. It works. His presence is enough to make her feel like everything is going to be okay.

* * *

Their last day together before she leaves is spent on Gabby's moms dock. It's filled with kissing, and swimming, and eating a mediocre pizza Matt drives out to town to get. They don't talk about the fact that soon they'll be hours away from each other, and what that means for them. Gabby just appreciates how he kisses her bare shoulder, and how even though she hates lake water swimming with Matt has become one of her new favorite things, and how loud his laugh is.

She doesn't cry until she's back home in her bed, and she curses herself for getting so attached to someone- something so temporary.

* * *

They call each other once a week. School has started back up, and she tells him about Shay, and how they've become friends with these kids in their English class named Kelly and April. Matt tells her about Andy and his girlfriend Heather. She sighs when he says that he wishes she were there, so they could go on double dates.

"What are you doing for Halloween?" Gabby asks, taking a bite of her apple. She's lying in bed, her pre-calculus homework sitting next to her unfinished. Matt always teases her about how excited she sounds when he calls her, and she denies it, but their phone calls are one of the best parts of her week.

"A friend of mine is throwing this party in a barn, so I'll probably check that out with Andy. Although he and Heather will definitely ditch me, so I'll probably head home early and crash."

"What, you're not gonna stay and get drunk? Hook up with some girls, have a good time." She's joking, of course. But the thought sometimes bugs her, leaving her nauseous. They never defined anything, Matt is allowed to do what he wants, be with who he wants. She wants to be that though.

"Gabby." She can tell by the tone of his voice that the thought bugs him, and it quells her doubts. "What are you doing?"

"Well usually Leslie and I watch scary movies and stuff our faces. But Kelly wants us to go to a party with him. I doubt we'll do that though, Shay and I will probably just get drunk by ourselves."

"Feel free to drunk call me if you want."

"You'll be out in a barn. Which I didn't think barn parties were a real thing, by the way."

"I'll come home early to talk to you." Gabby smiles, rolling over to her side. "So Thanksgiving is coming up. Is there any chance you'll be coming to visit your mom?"

"I doubt it. It's a bit of a drive and I doubt my dad wants to make it. What about you though? Your sister still lives here, do you think your aunt and uncle would want to visit her?"

There's a moment of silence on the other side of the line, but before she can panic too much Matt goes, "Gabriela, you're a genius." She grins and gets up, tossing the core of her apple in the trash and going downstairs to mention to her dad that there's a chance they'll have a guest soon.

* * *

Shay makes fun at how excited she is for Matt to be visiting for the summer, and Gabby does feel a bit ridiculous at how attached she is to someone she had a 'summer fling' with. But it's not just a summer fling, and though it is a high school relationship- not her first but still- Matt makes her happy.

Gabby's dad begrudgingly cleared out the guest room for him, and it takes two buses for Matt to get to Chicago, but Gabby and Shay are at the terminal waiting at 10pm when he gets in. She runs into his arms and wraps her legs around his waist, his other arm wrapping around her back after he drops his duffel bag. Gabby can tell Shay is rolling her eyes behind her, but she doesn't care, and gives Matt a kiss before grabbing his duffel bag and making their way towards Shay.

Shay wraps Matt in a hug, and they make their way back to Gabby's house.

The few weeks that Matt is there are the best of her summer. She forgets that he's lived in Chicago, and they end up going to his favorite places as well as hers. There's no dock for them to sit on, but the roof of Shay's building is a good substitute. He goes to sleep in the guest bed, but most nights he makes his way to Gabby's room around 11, and they sit together, sometimes talking, sometimes not.

"Can you believe we're going to be seniors?" She asks, letting out a soft moan. He eventually agreed to rub her shoulders, and he lets out a soft chuckle and works out a tight spot with his hand before kissing her neck and pulling her to lean back against his chest.

"Yeah, it's crazy. You know, I've been looking at schools in Chicago, figured it'd be nice to make my way back here."

Gabby raises her eyebrows and turns to face him. "Really, you'd come to school here?" He seems offended by her skepticism so she gives him a peck on the lips to get the frown off his face. "Do you know what you want to do?"

"I think I want to be a firefighter."

Nodding slowly, Gabby smiles at him. "I think you'd be good at that. Plus, if you came to school here then we'd see each other more often than we do now."

"Yeah, I know how much you miss me." She squirms when he runs his hands up her sides, tickling her. "What do you want to do?"

"I think I want to be a doctor. I've thought about it for a while now, actually."

"I think you'd be good at that."

They fall asleep before Matt could go back to his room, and either her father didn't notice, or he didn't care. After that, they sleep in her bed every night until he leaves.

* * *

Matt finishes school before her, and moves out and into his sister's house before Gabby graduates and is there when she walks at graduation. She's never been happier, she's starting pre-med with a pretty hefty scholarship in the fall, and her boyfriend is in the same city as her. They both wondered how living by each other would change things, but it was pointless to worry. Instead of long conversations over the phone they now have them in person, and Matt's sister's fiancé is a great cook. They go to the community pool by her house, and even though it's not the same as the lake she still has fun swimming with him. They hang out with Kelly and Shay and occasionally their various girlfriends. Her friends get along with Matt, and Gabby couldn't wish for anything more.

Fall comes and they get into a routine. Her helping him study, going on runs with him occasionally. Matt listens to her complain about biology. They occasionally go to parties, but almost always end up going back to Gabby's dorm to sleep. Freshman year passes, sophomore year passes, junior year passes, senior year passes. Matt becomes a candidate at a firehouse, and Gabby goes to med school. They move into an apartment together, Gabby works at a diner, Matt works part time for a construction company.

* * *

Everything is great. Until all of a sudden it isn't.

* * *

They're both stressed about bills, and Gabby hovers when Matt almost gets hurt in a house fire, and Matt is stressed and Gabby is stressed. She's convinced he's sick of her, and every moment they spend together is filled with yelling at each other. And all of a sudden she's moving in with Shay, and Kelly decides to do them all a favor and move in with Matt so that he doesn't have to find a new roommate.

"It'll all work out, sweetie." Gabby's head is in Shay's lap and she's running her fingers through her hair. It'd almost be comforting, if it didn't make her miss Matt touching her, rubbing her shoulders when she got home late, attempting to braid her hair when they had extra time on the weekends.

"What if it doesn't though?" She feels pitiful, and she wishes that her happiness wasn't so dependent on a man. But she also wishes that they didn't break up, she wishes that real life hadn't gotten to them. "I don't know how to be without him."

"Gabs, you've been together for the past 7 or 8 years. It's okay to miss him. But you've got to figure yourself out first. You are a person without him, and life will move on."

Gabby nods against Shay's lap, trying to convince herself of this. Tries to tell herself not to care. It doesn't work.

* * *

It takes a while, but slowly Gabby gets over Matt. She's in the middle of her residency at Chicago Med when she meets this cop. His name is Jay, and he comes off as sort of cocky but incredibly passionate, and he makes her laugh. He has freckles, and even though he works with her brother being with him helps her get away from the rest of her world.

"You know what I love about you?" Jay asks.

The word love takes her by surprise, but she just glances over at him in the driver's seat. "What?"

"You let my drive."

Gabby lets out a confused laugh. "You're welcome?"

"My partner never lets me drive. I swear I'm going insane. She makes me feel like a househusband."

Gabby rolls her eyes, but she smiles and brings her hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Poor baby. You'd make a good house husband though. How's intelligence treating you?"

He drops her off at work every day that he can with a kiss, teasing her about her scrubs but she's happy. They develop a routine, and she gets used to the late nights after working hard cases. The sex is great, and he makes her happy, the two things Shay says are important in a relationship. Gabby rolls her eyes when she says that, poking her blonde friend with her chopsticks, but she can't deny that at the moment it's enough for her.

* * *

She hasn't seen Matt in almost two years, and has been seeing Jay for almost one, when he pops up in her life again. She's doing a rotation in the ER when he comes in with a concussion. She follows the doctor she's supervising into his room, and his eyes widen at the sight of her. Gabby tries to ignore the pang in her chest and listen to what the doctor is saying, but she can't ignore the feeling in her stomach when the doctor leaves her to take his vitals.

She checks his pulse, temperature and blood pressure before he says anything.

"The scrubs suit you." She smiles at him, wrapping the stethoscope around her neck. "How are you?"

"I'm good." It comes out quietly, and Gabby clears her throat. "Your vitals are good, I think the doctor mentioned you getting a CT, so that should happen soon. Today hasn't been very busy, so." She brings her eyes up from the floor to look at him. "I'll probably be back around soon with Doctor Garber."

She turns to leave, ignoring him calling out her name.

Sandwiches from her favorite deli with her boyfriend will cure everything. Or so she thinks, until she sees Jay and his partner interacting. Gabby can tell he's in love with her, even if he hasn't admitted it to himself. Surprisingly enough, she doesn't feel upset. Not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, she rushes back to the hospital before her lunch break ends, giving the sandwiches to a homeless man. Any appetite she had was lost.

She surprisingly doesn't see Matt until her shift is over, when she feels someone grab her arm and drag her into an empty corridor. All of a sudden he's in front of her, and in her space, and she has to will herself to not reach up and check on the bruising on his head. She remembers that he bruises like a peach. There was one time she'd gotten a bit aggressive as they wrestled over the remote and had given him a bruise on his arm.

"What are you doing?" Sighing, she leans against the wall, trying to put as much space between them as possible.

"You wouldn't talk to me before, so-"

"Matt, I was working."

He nods, and his bitter expression hurts a little. "Yeah, I know." It's quickly gone though, and replaced with a much softer expression. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize. For how we left everything."

Gabby shook her head, letting out a huff. "It's okay, Matt. I ran out of there pretty quickly, I'm definitely my mom's child. You don't need to apologize for anything."

"I do, though. I uh- it's been bugging me. That I suggested that what we had meant nothing. That it was just some dumb, teenage fling." Gabby practically cringes, remembering how much his words stung. The man who she thought was the love of her life implying that their relationship was meaningless. "It was unfair. And so untrue. You meant, mean, you mean more to me than that." Gabby nods slowly. "So, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I have a short fuse, and I let everything blow up, and didn't even try to fix it. I didn't even look at the aftermath, I just left and…" she trails off, not knowing and really not wanting to have to convey her feelings about a situation she'd tried so hard to put behind her. "I'm sorry."

Matt nods, and Gabby thinks about how despite being 26 he has a similar boyish charm to the one he had at 16. Them standing there is becoming awkward, so she leaves without a goodbye, wanting to clock out and get home. Not to Jay's place, but to the apartment she and Shay still share.

* * *

A week after seeing Matt at the hospital, she breaks up with Jay. He seems a bit shocked, but he's not that upset, and neither is she. Gabby guesses this is a good thing.

He really is shocked when she suggests that he asks Erin out, but she sees them at a bar a month or so later, and is glad he listened to her suggestion.

Gabby has always hated how quickly time goes by. The summer that she met Matt went by too quickly, college went by too quickly, even med school- as torturous as it was- felt like it had just started when it was already over. Gabby can't deny that she's happy. She's good friend with the Halstead brothers, and Natalie invites her over every once in a while with April and Maggie. But she can't help but feel like she wants to settle down. She wants what Natalie has with her husband, what Shay has with Detective Mia Sumner. It's a miracle that Shay has settled down after hurricane Clarice. She's happy for her friend, and frustrated with herself.

When Doctor Rhodes starts working at the hospital, they almost immediately butt heads. They rarely cross paths, but when they do it manages to turn into a mess. He's just about as stubborn in his work as Gabby, and she's not used to dealing with people like herself. But over a few beers and some boring late nights they become friends. And when she bugs him about how stressed he is about his father being around the hospital and he kisses her, she doesn't protest and goes home with him.

It's a first for her, their relationship. They never really go out on dates, but he still offers the emotional support a friend would give. When Gabby's patient- a girl who's only 7- dies he's there for her when she breaks down. Connor insists that 'the sex will help you forget' when she sees Matt with his fiancé Hallie, who also happens to be a doctor at Med.

Every once in a while, she thinks that maybe their relationship is more than just friendship and sex. Gabby isn't sure about what he wants until an incredibly awkward night at Molly's, where she's sitting not even 6 feet away from her ex and his fiancé. Not only are Matt and Hallie there, but Jay and Erin sitting together as well. And though Gabby loves the two police officers and considers them both good friends, she's well aware that she's in a room with her two most serious ex-boyfriends, waiting for her current… boy-friend?toy? to show up. Shay and Mia are keeping her company, but they obviously want to go back home.

"Is Connor coming?" Shay asks, taking a sip of her wine.

Gabby nods, downing the rest of her scotch. "Yeah, he said he only had to stay kind of late, I don't know why he's not here yet." The sound of Hallie laughing has her glancing in the happy couple's direction, and she sighed, taking a sip of Shay's drink despite her protests. "Is it weird that seeing them together is still weird to me?"

Mia shakes her head. "No way girl. It'll always seem weird. That's just how things work." Gabby somehow doesn't need her to explain what 'things' is.

Connor comes in at that moment, Shay quickly saying goodnight and dragging her girlfriend out, saying a quick greeting to Connor. He sidles up to her and leans against the bar, giving her a small smile. His face is sort of scruffy and he looks like he hasn't slept in a week.

"Hey, ready to go?" She nods, signaling Herrmann to close her tab and pulling out her wallet. She's looking at Connor and can't help but smile, because he really is adorable and ridiculously hot all rolled into one. "What?" He asks.

"Nothing, you just look like you haven't slept in ages."

He stands up straight, pulling her coat off of the back of her chair and helping her put it on. "Well, Maggie only let me get in a 30 minute nap today." Gabby shakes her head at him.

Herrmann comes over, accepting the money she hands him and asking how the doctors are doing. Connor and Herrmann start making conversation. Eventually they head out, and she's still watching him when they drive to his place.

"What are you looking at me for?" He asks, not annoyed, simply sounding curious.

"It's just weird, seeing you in clothes. We're always either in scrubs or naked."

He snorts, and she starts laughing. They quiet down before he suggests, "well maybe we should change that."

* * *

She and Connor start actually dating after that. He takes her out to nice restaurants, and they talk about patients together. It works, only occasionally seeing each other at work. Just like many of the doctors and nurses at Med they frequent Molly's. It's a great way to spend time with everyone, including all of Shay's friends from the firehouse.

She, Cruz and Antonio all like to speak Spanish together and laugh about how annoyed Herrmann gets. Gabby is closest with Shay and Kelly, but that's enough for everyone one else to accept her as family.

"It's kind of a miracle Shay was able to settle down, right?" Gabby asks Kelly. She, Kelly, Shay, April, Matt, and Herrmann all crowd around a small table. Another form of progress she's made is managing to be friends with Matt. It's a somewhat strained friendship, but a friendship nonetheless.

"It really is. God she wasn't even out in high school and she still managed to get so many girls."

Shay shrugged. "It was pretty impressive." Gabby smiles at Shay who beams at her in return. "Your turn Kelly."

Everyone laughs at that, and Gabby turns at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder. Connor grins down at her, and she smiles back up at him, greeting him with a kiss. He comes to stand next to her, and Gabby can feel the tension radiating between her and Matt. Herrmann seems to notice it as well, pulling everyone's thoughts away from it by asking "why do you call Shay by her last name? I know why we do, but you have no reason to really."

Gabby shrugs, glancing at Shay. "We played soccer together, our coach called us by our last names, and I just kind of liked it. She," Gabby looks over at Connor before pointing at Shay with a huge grin on her face, "she insisted on calling me Gabby though. Said it was a pretty name."

"I was totally flirting with her," Shay says, and Gabby grabs her best friend's hand. "Still think it's true though."

Gabby and Connor take off first, and they end up in his bed. She complains about being hungry, and even though it's 3 in the morning he gets up and makes her scrambled eggs.

* * *

She understands that he has to leave when Dr. Downey dies. It doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt.

* * *

The last place Gabby expects to see Matt is at a shitty dive bar on a Tuesday night. Working in oncology is as heartbreaking as it can be rewarding, and going on runs and cleaning never helped Gabby deal with shit.

Surprisingly Matt is drunk already. He notices her after about a minute, yelling out her name and stumbling over to her.

"Gabby, HEY, someone grab Gabby a shot."

Gabby winces at how loud he's yelling and props him up in a bar stool, grabbing his wallet from him, and walking over to the bartender to settle his tab.

"Where are we going?" He asks as she drags him out to her car.

"I'm bringing you home. Are you competent enough to remember your address." He almost falls trying to get into the car, but mumbles an address and hops in. Gabby drives while Matt plays with the radio stations. Wondering what prompted this, she asks "what happened that made you do this?" Matt always avoided drinking enough to get drunk, since his dad struggled with alcohol.

"Hallie's dumb." Matt slurs, leaning his head back against the car seat.

"She's done?"

"That too," he says. "Done with me. For good."

Not knowing what to say Gabby is quiet, mulling it over in her mind. They eventually pull up to his house, Matt telling the GPS to shut up when it tells them they've arrived at their destination.

"Alright, come on." Gabby goes around the vehicle to help Matt out and grabs his keys from his pocket. His house is a mess, and she wonders how long it's been since Hallie and Matt broke up. She's about to leave him on the couch when he says something under his breath.

"Help me, please."

Gabby leads him down a hallway that she hopes will lead to his room, saying "you know I was planning on getting shit faced, why'd you have to ruin it for me" jokingly.

They make it to his bedroom and he stumbles to lie down. The decorations in there have obviously been done by Hallie, and it still makes Gabby sort of sad to remember that they'd been living together, planning on getting married.

"I guess that's my cue to leave" Gabby says, at the same time Matt speaks.

"I'm sorry I ruin everything." She looks over at him and his eyes are only half open as he tries to pull his blankets over himself. "I ruined your night. I ruined my relationship with Hallie. I ruined us…"

Biting her lip Gabby sighs before answering, "you need to get some sleep, okay."

"Okay." Gabby goes to leave, turning the lights off as she heads back down the hall. Making sure the door is locked she goes out to her car. Instead of driving, she sits in the driver's seat with her eyes closed, wondering whether she should still go out to get drunk, or if she should call it a night. At this point all she can think about is Matt. They've been over for years, and somehow he still manages to get under her skin, and she groans. Not even wanting to ponder over what him breaking up with Hallie could be about, she goes home and watches Grey's Anatomy, falling asleep on the couch, trying not to think about it.

* * *

 **If anyone has actually read any of my others stories and is interested in where they're going I'm going to explain here where I'm at with all of them.**

 **The reason I stopped writing fic for Chicago Fire a while ago was because I was sort of frustrated with the direction the show was taking, and i had lost interest in it. The earlier seasons of the show were my absolute favorite, and what I was watching just felt so different from them? I guess? Because of that I didn't really have any inspiration to write anything. But this current season I've been keeping up with and actually enjoying a lot, and becoming invested in it again made me want to write more. Unfortunately now I'm going to school full time and work on the side and so I'm busy, but I promise I'm writing.**

 **I'm going to mark Under Different Circumstance (the collection of AU one-shots) as complete for now. Maybe later I'll update it but I'd rather focus on finishing my other stories.**

 **Any other story marked as complete actually is complete, and I do not plan on updating it.**

 **I am working on another chapter to Carve A Name, but I'm trying to make the chapters longer so it may take a while to be updated**

 **I plan on posting an ending to th** **is soon. Though I'm very busy, I'm definitely working on this. I'd meant it to be a oneshot but I wanted to post something as it's been over a year since I've last updated In The Wings and really put out anything substantial.**

 **As for In The Wings, I am trying to continue it but am not sure where to go. I promise I'll update eventually; I just don't want to post some half-ass boring chapter. But I haven't abandoned it, so bear with me.**

 **I know if you haven't read any of these you probably don't care, but I figured if anyone remembers them then I should let them know where things are at.**


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